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Topline:
An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.3 struck Saturday evening near Woodman Ave. and Magnolia Blvd. in Sherman Oaks at about 5:30 p.m. No damage has been reported.
That's not very big, right? It was not a big quake, but lots of people living near the epicenter felt it.
Was there a warning? No early warning was issued by the U.S. Geological Survey. Those early warnings, which are sent to phones, are typically reserved for quakes 3 or higher on the Mercalli scale, which describes shaking intensity. In the event of a quake large enough to cause damage, the alerts can provide valuable seconds for people to prepare.
Why it matters. First, it's a reminder that we do feel quakes that aren’t strong enough to warrant a warning. Second, any time the ground moves is a good time to remember that we all need to be prepared for an actual Big One that does significant damage to our region.
What's next. If you did feel something consider reporting it to the USGS Shake map, which provides data to scientists studying earthquakes. Also, use our helpful tools to make sure you have what you need the next time it's not just a small shake of the Earth.
We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list
